Nigeria mata no go tire us, and we sef no go tire for am? Everyday na the same song we dey sing – hardship, suffering, and wahala no dey end. From one wahala to another, Nigerians don tire, but the cycle no wan break. The question wey dey my mind be: who go bell this cat of hardship for us?
You go agree with me say since dem born some of us, na the same tori we dey hear. Before nko? From military government wey chop us well well, to democracy wey suppose be our savior, na so-so struggle and suffer pipu dey see. The cat of hardship dey fat, and e don dey form landlord untop pipu head. Na who go fit tie bell for im neck make we know when e dey come?
First of all, make we yarn about the economy. Ah! Na one matter wey dey make head big anytime we wan talk am. Since dis dollar craze start, nobody sabi how we go come out. You go carry Naira, go market, come back with bag of tears. Before, you fit use one thousand Naira buy things wey fit last you small. Now, if you enter market with that same money, you go just return with groundnut, like one cup of garri and small pure water dat na if transport no join o. E shock you?
Abi make we talk about fuel? The fuel wey suppose be wetin we get plenty for this country, e don turn luxury. Fuel price dey climb like say e wan reach heaven. Na so we dey see am every day, and nobody fit give us concrete answer as to why fuel price dey rise like skyrocket. E just be like say, the more we dey produce fuel, the more we dey suffer. E get one time when dem say subsidy na the problem, dem comot am, still, no solution. So we dey ask again, who go bell this fuel cat?
If no be fuel, na light mata. Light no dey, dem say make we no worry, na small time, dem go fix am. But how many years we go wait? PHCN go carry light like thief wey dey pick pocket for night. If dem give us light sef, na like party; e no go last. Dem go flash us small, before you know, everywhere go dark again. E tire person.
But wetin go make person really cry na say light problem no only dey affect your TV or fan. Na the people wey dey hustle small small business e dey really finish. Tailor no fit sew clothes, welder no fit join metal, hairdresser go dey blow breeze for customer head because dryer no work. Na serious gbege. The question be, who go fit repair this Nigeria electricity wey don spoil tay-tay?
Our Leaders Dey Do Wetin?
Now, e good make we talk about our leaders. Abi dem no see wetin dey happen? If we dey ask who go bell the cat, no be dem suppose lead the charge? But e be like say, our leaders don get another clock for their office wey no dey match with the one for street. When dem talk, e be like say everything dey okay, but for ground, we know say e no be so.
Election time go come, dem go carry big promises like yam wey no dey done. “We go provide jobs, we go fight corruption, we go improve healthcare!” Dem go shout, but once dem enter office, na another story. Some of dem go dey reason how dem go use taxpayer money buy private jet, while the people dey drink garri with groundnut dey manage. You fit imagine?
Abi no be for this our country wey snake swallow millions of Naira? Or na monkey carry money run? Our leaders sabi give us comedy special, but the joke no dey funny for person wey no fit chop three square meals.
One thing wey everybody sabi about Nigerians be say we dey strong. E get one time person talk say, “Nigerians no dey carry last!” And truly, we no dey carry last for endurance and survival. We go dey hustle anyhow, we go dey laugh our sorrows away, and we go dey find hope even when everything don scatter. But make we ask ourselves, for how long we go continue like this?
E no good make we dey happy say we sabi suffer. Resilience no mean say make we continue dey chop hardship like indomie wey no dey finish. Yes, we sabi adapt, but adaptation no go carry us go anywhere if our leaders no do wetin dem suppose do.
Who Go Bell the Cat?
As the mata be, e clear say the solution no go come from only one side. Everybody get role to play. Leaders must step up, citizens must dey wise, and youths must ready to fight for better future (no be fight wey involve blow o, I mean to challenge bad governance with wisdom).
Our leaders need to face the reality of this hardship. E no be say dem no sabi wetin dey sup; na say dem no ready take bold steps to change am. Dem no go fit dey live for bubble while we dey soak garri for ground. Dem suppose use government money to make things better for everybody, no be to dey enrich demself and their family alone.
But make we no put all the blame for leadership head alone. We, the people, sef get our own work. Many of us dey collect small small “stomach infrastructure” for election time, we go vote person wey no fit serve us well. Na we dey see our leaders dey do anyhow, yet we dey protect dem because of tribe or religion. How e go better like that?
We need to dey hold our leaders accountable. If road no good, light no dey, school no work, make we shout well well. No be to dey shout for Twitter and Facebook alone o. Make we carry our voice reach the people wey fit make change happen.
No forget say the future dey the hand of the youths. But e no go happen if we dey fight each other, or if we no dey organized. Na the youths suppose lead the campaign for better governance, for accountability, and for a better Nigeria. But we need to first sabi wetin we want. We no go fit fight corruption with bad character, and we no go fit end hardship if we dey reason only about our own selfish gain.
The cat of hardship don fat, and e don set for this our Naija. The question wey dey for our front be: who go fit bell this cat? Na leaders? Na we the citizens? Or na the youths? The truth be say, all of us join for this matter. No be today e start, but e must end someday.
Nigeria no go better by magic. E go take hard work, sacrifice, and leadership wey care. But as we dey waka this rough journey, make we no forget say na only if we work together, we go fit tie bell for this hardship cat, and finally break free from the cycle wey don hold us for too long.
